The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 37 people were killed, including civilians as well as security personnel, and more than 40 wounded.

A car bomb claimed by rebels killed at least 34 people on Friday in a government-controlled village in the central Syrian province of Hama, state news agency SANA reported.

More than 50 people were wounded in the attack in Al-Horra, SANA said, blaming the attack on rebels fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad.

The Islamic Front, a rebel coalition, claimed responsibility. It said on Twitter that a radio-controlled bomb had targeted a “gathering of Assad militia.” The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 37 people were killed, including civilians as well as security personnel, and more than 40 wounded.

A car bomb exploded in the city of Homs, to the south of Hama, on Thursday killing at least six people in a neighbourhood populated by Alawites, the Islamic sect to which Assad belongs.

No one claimed responsibility for what was the second attack in Homs – Syria’s third largest city – in less than a week, but state television blamed it on rebels.